After the only East Coast NYE [Boston], they stayed east for two immediate nights in Manhattan. As others have noted, this period is so transitional that they sound different week to week, already a little modified from Boston (granted NYC always brought out endemic shows). The Fill E turned the house at the time, with two shows this night. The early show (@8pm) is noted for a superb Cosmic Charlie, and the late show for a classic '70 Dark Star (the early show has better era material overall). There is an AUD (patching the Mason's) but it's incomplete. This is the peak era for hearing Constanten, who mostly mans the keys, instead of Pigpen. Hendrix taped Band of Gypsies here the night before. Imagine if just a matter of hours had caused a blend!

Early Show. They take the stage to a house recording of Also Sprach Zarathustra: pt. 1 The Sunrise – probably before it became cliché (long before it became ironic). It's not a truly notable Mason's Children, nor is it at all bad. Neither of the OFF releases have the beginning patched. Casey Jones is a great straightforward reading; crisp, with creative drums. Black Peter is an early version, with one vocalist. It loses tempo and wobbles off key in places. However this is a smashing Mama Tried with the Constanten sound and some extra Jer punch. Though not a huge '71, Hard to Handle is slick and relatively compact; a classic Pigpen/Constanten outing from that short era of the band. Cumberland starts hot but unfortunately trainwrecks after 3mins when they lose the thread. Tom C is again the disparate element in The Other One suite. Not one of the year's most interesting TOOs, but GOGD and w/good drums. There's a tape flip @48secs in TOO on all sources [@6:47 on the OFF]. After a wonderful tranny in, this is a classic Cosmic Charlie, capping the show with glee. The last bit is missing [the OFF patches the last 15secs with 1/3/70 late].

Late Show. They came out again to Also Sprach: Sunrise, launching a still-new Uncle John's Band. It's a bit unsure until the ¾ mark [on the OFF, the first 9 secs are 1/3/70b]. High Time is a superb, dynamic version w/tumbling drums & Tom C organ. And check that Fender amp tremolo. Easy Wind is still developing and has clunky tempos, but they play hard on it [beginning is missing; first 19secs on OFF are 12/12/69a]. The end is missing on China Cat [@3:09 the OFF cuts to 1/3/70b, omitting the 2nd solo]. Like much of the show, it and Rider have slow speed wavers on all sources [OFF is 1/3/70b for the first 2mins16secs (cutting sun will shine & northbound train verses) as well as for the end tuning and beginning of Good Lovin']. The next couple are standard '70, but while fixing a broken string and the drum riser before Dark Star, we get a slick Monkey & the Engineer. They're not set up for it so the recording qual isn't great, but this impromptu throwaway demonstrates how they can be great when you aren't looking for it. The Dark Star is well-noted and is one of those that plays itself, using the Dead as a conduit. Even through some quiet stretches there's always something coming over the horizon. It goes through a sequence of jams, mostly instigated by Bobby, who starts running through themes @19:50. After 20mins Bobby starts a Feelin' Groovy, but Jer plays around it rather than with it, and Bobby quickly adapts by adding a G chord to the sequence. After 21mins there's some push and pull, and @21:43 Jer tests a D>A theme that becomes D>A>E>D. At 23mins Jer edges back to main theme notes, but @23:41 Bobby instead starts a [long] Tighten Up and Jer jumps on it. At 28mins40secs Jer thinks about moving directly to the main theme and this time Bobby is already there. Too bad tape ran out as they go to the last verse [the OFF switches to 2/14/70a @30:47]. We are also missing much of St. Stephen but otherwise we get a typical '70 plus Mickey's cannon [the first 2 :34 on the OFF is from 2/14/70a with the tempo digitally sped, unnecessarily, condensing from a 2 :50 segment and missing 36secs of the SBD]. The rest is average '70 and here all sources have nearly continuous speed wavers.

Early Show:  B
Late Show:   C+
Together = 3½ stars

Highlights:
Casey Jones – a plinth CJ
Mama Tried – great Constanten-organ version
Hard to Handle – compact, Pigpen/Constanten era
Cosmic Charlie – all-time classic
High Time – tumbling drums & Tom C
Monkey & the Engineer – impromptu bonus wins
Dark Star – lots to unpack in a hot '70 example, even w/missing end

SOURCES: The partial-early_sbd_86 is the Dark Star>Stephen from the late show. The 137375_sbd_wise is thinner sounding and unpatched. The hanno_12624 is a good source for the early show (it's labeled "late"), but the cotsman_18120 is as good and is the best source for the late show. It has fuller freqs and separation and sounds clearer than the OFF in places. Bal/Vol intervention is needed and there are speed wavers, needing pitch corrections: Cosmic Charlie needs +1% 2:11>5:16 ; China Cat needs -2% 0:00>0:15, -1% 0:15>1:53, -2% 1:53>2:20 & -1% 2:20>through Rider ; Dark Star has many wavers, one is @25:23>26:21, needing +1% ; The Eleven needs -1% ~8:00 & -2% ~11:00 ; Love Light needs -1% until 8:00, and wavers toward too fast ~12:00. Mason's Children is on Fallout (slightly better mix on Dave's), and has the channels switched on both the SBD & OFF. Dave's 30 has most of both shows, with nine songs edited or patched from other shows, and with many speed wavers. The tenable pitch corrections are: Cosmic Charlie's last 20secs need +1% ; first 9secs of UJB need +1% ; first 12secs of China Cat need -1% ; Rider wavers, mostly needing +1% plus +1.5% from 2 :16 ; Dark Star needs +1% 0:00>18:00 & 25:23>26:21 ; The Eleven needs +1% 0:51>2:00, +2% 2:00>2:14, +1% 2:14>7:29, 8:00>8:40 & 9:57>end ; Love Light needs +1% @0:00>0:07, 0:40>1:14, 12:40>14:37 & 16:20>17:40. On the late show, both SBD & OFF have the channels switched for UJB and High Time. The OFF also has channels switched for Easy Wind through Good Lovin'. The SBD also has channels switched on Easy Wind, China Cat & Good Lovin'.

This show is good from the start (4 stars), but from the first note of Dark Star to the last drum beat of Lovelight it becomes a MONSTER (6 stars). That stretch moves this show into my top 5 all-time.

On Lovelight it's amazing to hear the crowd clapping along and singing back the "shine on me. . . " from 16 mins to the end. At 16:54 Pigpen demands Bobby to "repeat after me Bobby " and you can hear Jerry in the background getting a chuckle out of that. Pig, Bobby, and the crowd have a little soft back and forth for a little. Then at 17:40 Jerry takes over for Bobby for a few turns with the crowd. Bobby comes back nice and soft for a minute, but once the track hits minute 19, he and Pig really start going hard and having some fun. What an ending to a show. It's everything I want to hear in a closer.

Lovelight is always such a get-up and have-a-good-time song, and you can hear and feel the crowd doing just that.

I wish more of the soundboards would capture the crowd like this.

This performance easily rivals the likes of 2/13, 6/24, 9/19, and 11/8. The Tigten Up jam is stunning, symphonic perfection.

Just in case it's not clear from other reviews, the Zarathustra theme was a Fillmore East thing, not a Grateful Dead thing -- probably the Joshua Light Show, and frequently played with the movie clip of the killing of King Kong -- "twas Beauty killed the Beast" -- as the visual. That probably explains the audience cheers, too: they/we tended to cheer when Kong knocked another one of the planes from the sky around the Empire State Building (a fitting NYC image).

I stayed in the East Village from the Band of Gypsy's concert New Year's Eve until this show, and the Dead lived up to the Hendrix legacy, if there was any question about that. The Dark Star is as exploratory as it gets, and although I don't think it is as good as 2/13 it definitely laid the foundation for it: on 2/13 they were "standing on the shoulders of giants" -- themselves.

The Dead always had to coax the New York audience into following the muse/music and they did it here flawlessly.

I came back for 1/3 because this was such a great, mind-bending show (their improvisations in Dark Star, which incorporated an endless variety of unexpected riffs, samba included, gave proof to the idea that they were actually exploring -- WITH the audience -- and not just going through the motions. To me this was the hallmark of the Dead from that era.)

A great show, and a great moment in the band's history.

This would be a five-star for any other band, but only the Dead could go so far beyond it that it has to be given four stars in order to allow the other, amazing concerts to be differentiated.

Love Light was the highlight to my ears.
Black Peter is excellent.

tight 11 u will c !!!!

cool jazzy sorta outtro on dark star

From 17:45 to 28:15? Beautiful! Warm feeling with flavors of Sugar Magnolia and Eyes of the World. Is this based on the 1968 thing by Archie Bell and the Drells from Houston? No disrespect to that contribution but the Dead put a ahine on it that I have never heard anywhere else. Then again, I guess that is what it is all about. When I was laying out my $13.50 for a ticket, this is exactly the kind of thing I hoped to hear.

That "samba beat" is the Tighten Up jam and was quite common in both Dark Star's and Dancin's from late '69 through the end of '70. They pulled it out one last time on 10-31-71 and can be found on DP's 2. Anyway - The DS through Lovelight is about as good as you can get. Well worth the listen.

but unorganizable due to lack of track info. Sweet jams, a few conspicuous trainwrecks.

Some high parts and some low parts. I sort of agree with most of the reviewers, to a degree, and although this is still considered early dead it is beginning to start the long strange trip to a different style of dead. The Dark Star sounds good for the first 15 to 20 minutes then it starts in with some kind of samba beat - what the hell does that have to do with Dark Star - a samba beat - ?

Is Jerry doing the samba in space - with Bobby - and Pig, et al - ?

Sorry, guys, but that just doesn't appeal to me for some strange reason.

Stephen and The Eleven also take a strange turn - but not as strange as the last half of Dark Star.

The Other One is cool! Easy Wind - although not as strong as some of the other versions.

I like Bobby's take on Monkey and the Engineer on this recording.

Pig on Lovelight is strong. So is Hard to Handle - although it is too short here.

All in all, it is a good show - not a strong show - but a good one.

Every now and then on my journey through the past, I hear a DARK STAR that just knocks Little Dave in the dirt and this is one. Do not miss! The whole show is very tasty. Love the MAMA TRIED, OTHER ONE and GOOD LOVIN'. Hendrix left some magic in the room from BAND OF GYPSYS as if they need it.

The Dark Star > Stephen > Eleven > Lovelight is an all-timer. Never mind that the end of Dark Star and the transition into SS is cut ... you know what it sounds like. Everything else is just so good around it, it doesn't really matter.

The Dark Star easily rivals 2/13/70 (yeah, I said it), exploring lots of exciting terrain including a wonderful Tighten Up jam about 22 minute in. The explosion in St. Stephen is supplied by a drummer, I think, and you can hear Garcia and others on stage being blown away by it. At the transition out of the "high green chilly" part of Stephen into the Eleven, Garcia does a little vocalization that suggests to me he is ready to roll, and roll he does. There's a lot to love about this Eleven. To my ears, it's the hottest, tightest version, well elaborated (more than, say, '68 versions) but focused (more than, say, Februaury '69 versions)and powerful. The drummers and band get the little interlude of of the 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4-5BAM! drums runs almost Just Exactly Perfect, one of the only times they really nailed it. It's the combination of all those things that make me prefer it to the other great versions, including the 1/26/69 take on Live Dead. Finally, it's a great Lovelight. I love hearing the band members yell the song out to each other just before Phil drops his big fat bass line (beautifully full on this recording) and sets the stage for Pigpen.

I don't much from the rest of the show, because for over ten years I just keep returning to the Dark Star >> part. Outstanding.

What a great Dark Star! with an amazing jam out of the silence. I sure wish we had the transition into St. Stephen, but whatever, it's still a wave rider. And that fat Eleven for a new year present. Such fun! Just a great show all around.

...anyone reading these comments and then listening to this show is going to be disappointed. Not because of the audio quality (it's surprisingly good) and not because of the music (they were definitely ON that night), but because the very part that everybody seems to be gushing about is missing.

Yeah, maybe it was a great transition from Dark Star to St. Stephen, but you'll never know from this recording...because it cuts off right after Jerry starts singing in DS and doesn't pick up again until after the first verse of SS.

You'd think at least one of the comments would have mentioned it. Or even the original notes (you know, the ones that call it a "complete" show?). Oh well, it's still well worth your time anyway. Just don't be misled by the people who are commenting on the performance rather than the recording.

they may never know so much agaiiin.

great tune, great show

This show would be worth it all simply for the eternally "groovy" "Tighten Up" jam beginning at around 22:48 of Dark Star until the end of the song.

Excellent recording with TC mixed very loud for a change. Every instrument is clearly heard here.

To the kind soul asking about how to donwload... the answer is, err, you already did. If you stream the show and the song loads completely then it is **saved in your temporary internet folder** as a tasty mp3, so you own it now!

I attended the early show (my first for the Dead & the Fillmore East) and was excited by the band's performance after the opening acts (Lighthouse & Cold Blood). 1970 was a good year for the band when they broke into national recognition...great to have documentation of this performance!

These two shows at the Fillmore East are not only fantastic shows, they represent the direction the band adopted throughout the early 70's with their folk-electric style. Aside from that, these shows truly establish the Working Man's Dead material which had been floating in throughout 69, as well as a resurgence of Motown and Blues which had taken a bit(bit) of a backseat during the late 60s. On top of which these shows mark, in my mind at least, the relationship which developed between the Dead and New York, whether at the Fillmore East or Capitol Theater in Port Chester. Whereas the 60's are dominated by San Francisco and the California area, New York is really where the Dead shined during 1970.

Follow the tour: 1970
gratefuldeadlive.blogspot.com

This is a 4.5 star show only because some of the new songs (Cumberland Blues especially) are a tad flubulous. The beginning Zarathustra and initial bits of Masons' Children are from an aud source and the vocals all come out of the right channel (I nitpick, I know). But the good stuff is so good it more than makes up for a few minor mistakes or mix weirdness. The Hard To Handle is dynamite as is the long Love Light, Pig's on for this show. But hot damn, check out the incredible Dark Star, one of those cool 1970 versions where they bring it way down to silence and then build back up again, wow. Mix that with a killer Cryptical and a fine Masons' Children opener and you've got close to pure gold right here. I always loved the Dark Star> St. Stephen> The Eleven transition and I very much like Bob Weirs Monkey And Engineer sung to fill up some time due to technical difficulties. Like I said 4.5 stars warts and all, but it makes no sense to round down so I'm rounding up to 5.

can anyone help me download these shows? Are they legal to download and if so, how do I do it? Thank you

...the kind of show that the audience just sat there in shock at the end,in total awe and reverence...this is how the Legend was built!

i can't believe this psychedelic space MONSTER dark star is in the middle of this show. this is the kind of dark star i stay up at night thinking about (yeah i stay up at night thinking about dark star). i was already head-over-heels for this show and now THIS! one of the brightest darkest stars i've ever heard...god bless the grateful dead, each and every one. other high-points: an absolutely rocking casey jones, short but poignant other one (poignant, what?), beautiful high time, lovelight is wow with a cool little call/answer with bobby. pig is ON! so, to sum up...rocking, spacey, poignant, beautiful, wow, ON!

great comments on the dark star couldnt have put it better myself.
no doubt the dark star>lovelight is 5 stars easily

the first show of 1970 is a monster, and a good omen of some amazing music to come in the next 4 years (i.e., the jams of '72-'74).

the early show is fairly typical, but the first thing striking if that the also sprach zarathustra intro is BADASS! things get much more interesting in the late show, with a great easy wind that has the band flexing their funk. some technical problems lead weir to tell a story with a solo guitar monkey and engineer. once the problems are resolved, weir offers us some "easy listening music" in the epic dark star that follows.
after a few minutes of typical but mellow jamming, the playing dissolves into a very minimal, but textural soundscape - echo, gong, bells, quiet feedback... chilling & foreboding. out of the silence garcia starts picking out a repetitive, eerie lick, with washes of organ providing accompaniment. everyone takes thier time, really feeling out this almost silent, spare section. a subtle re-entry to the dark star theme is followed immediately by an intoxicatingly sunny and optimistic happy groove. soon garcia strumms out a little cosmic charlie theme, and eventually the band launches into a full feelin' groovy jam. excellent, spirited playing which provides a nice resolution from the darker free-form section. st. stephen > eleven > lovelight follows. this fun lovelight features a super melodic, soulful little theme after pigpen's "tear this roof down" schpiel that just makes you want to scream! hell yea! (possibly what liamfinnegan describes as the franklin's tower tease below).

That jam during lovelight definately sounds like a very early franklin's tower rift.

The sound is very crip and jerry guitar is on this night!

For the lucky who were there had to know that this band was turning into a monster. They were truly coming into their own and adding more music and style that no other band has matched yet. Stream this show and you will be looking for a way to copy this on disc. Very good, very mesmerizing. I think 1970 gets a little lost in the shuffle, sandwiched right between '69 and '72 makes it hard to get noticed. It does have it's special moments and deserves a worthy searching through. Start here and you will be glued to your seat for two hours. This show is amazing.

Wow – 5 star…is there anything the Fillmore Este can’t provide?? Sooooo CRISP
Thank you, Pig
JG
Philbert
Micky
Billiam
Bobby
Especially you, Uncle Bill
Tan BUENO, amigos!

(BTW, coolest Dire Wolf EVER?? Maybe, thanks to Pig's keys...jerr's licks...and...AND? --- Yeah, could very well be!)
RESPECT

I neeeeeed to add some of these shows to my collection, and when i right click download it just opens in a new window can anybody help me please?

I really dig any song that i can play in my living room (nice and loud), step into the bathroom, shave, shower, and come back to catch the end of..

Killer Dark Star, really light hearted and optimistic jam.

hendrix played new year's and 1-1-70. was he back stage for this? did he hang with the dead here before moving on to other shows? i'll have to recheck all the lit.

to have attended the fillmore east twice over the span of that holiday weekend would have been mind boggling.

i can only imagine.

tasty licks.

Give it a listen- about 14 minutes 30 seconds minutes into the lovelite- the band starts riffing through a chordal progression that sound remarkably like the beginning of Franklins Tower- i do think the boys would go back and listen to jams and find good ideas for new songs- give it a listen and let me know.

Get past the crummy first couple of reel to reel songs also sprach zarastura is great James Brown was starting shows with this as well at that time.

ESSENTIAL+

Who knew that when pro wrestler Ric Flair began using Also Sprach Zarathrustra as his entrance music, he was copying the Dead?!

Very nice Dark star with some great exploration and outer explorations of the inner conciousness. Excellent jamming in the late set.

This show has the best Black Peter ever and my favourite Lovelight, so listen and get it one way or another!!

What a great jam in the late set. Some of the songs sound slightly off key, but the jam in the late set is great.

Best lovelight i have ever heard. pigpen is on, bobby is on, everybody is working to close the show with a bang. mission accomplished. DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW

What is it about the Dead and the first show of the year? They always seem to do it just exactly perfect. This one is no exception with hot versions of Masons, Casey, Hard to Handle, and Uncle Johns. The Other One is out there and really goes places, and High Time is very well executed. Probably my favorite version they did. The real gem of these shows is the Dark Star. Its way ahead of its time and gets very pretty and spacy (not in the way were all used to)before heading into some very tight playing. It may not be one to introduce people to the Dead and it may not be one you want to pull out when ever you want a fix of the Star, its more of those special occasion ones when your in the mood for something different...something out there. Eleven is hot too with lots of energy in this one. Flaws and all, this may be the show to throw in after New Years to wake you up and start it up all over again! Good start to the 70's!

This show is an acquired taste. I've listened to some great Dark Stars in my time...this is probably the most unique. About 10 minutes of alien sounds....mostly silence - engulfs the beginning of the jam inbetween verses. BUT - once they come out of the trance....it is probably one of the HOTTEST jams i have ever heard the dead play PERIOD. just immaculate. And THEN the song goes into St. Stephen. THE funkiest St. Stephen ever. Just a great funky sound. The Eleven throws you into another universe. Show quality is not bad at all...and worth downloading for the third disk alone.

Something wrong with vocals...much, much too low.

I only have the third disc in hi-fi lossy, but that part of the show is just superb.

Amazing.

Who ever is putting up these shows, I love you! The Mason's children is the same as that on Fallout from the Phil zone, it is brilliant! The show is one of the first shows I got and has a special place in my heart, well worth the effort to listen to! ;)